EXETER — The University of Exeter is proposing to cut 150 jobs, a decision that has led to a petition with more than 21,000 signatures. The proposed redundancies are expected to primarily affect departments within the humanities, arts, and social sciences.

The University and College Union (UCU) stated that courses including history, English, modern languages, and politics will suffer "irreparable damage" from the proposed cuts. The UCU also stated that environmental sciences at the university's Falmouth campus would be at risk. Almost 700 University of Exeter UCU members voted unanimously in favor of a ballot for industrial action at a meeting on Wednesday.

A University of Exeter spokesperson said the institution was consulting on "limited and specific potential changes." The spokesperson cited rising costs, a decline in tuition fee income, underfunded research, and a sustained decrease in international student demand as factors necessitating action. The spokesperson said the university hopes to avoid compulsory redundancies wherever possible.

The UCU stated there is no financial need to force through cuts of this scale. This statement contrasts with the University of Exeter annual report for 2024-25, which describes "a year of continued financial stability."

Former Archbishop of Canterbury Rowan Williams, film critic Mark Kermode, former Member of Parliament Rory Stewart, and literary biographer Hermione Lee have publicly expressed concern about the proposed cuts. Williams, who received an honorary degree from the University of Exeter 25 years ago, said, "Everyone knows that the funding of higher education in this country leaves university management with deeply unpalatable choices. But it is very worrying that arts and humanities, including religious studies, seem so often to be automatically identified as the first and softest targets. Is the sector really committed to sustaining anything like a full humanistic and cultural education? Because this is not a luxury in a climate of polarised and historically myopic conflict."

Business leaders in the south-west warned of the economic impact of cuts on Exeter and the wider region in an open letter. A spokesperson for the university clarified that the proposed changes were prompted by shifts in demand or situations "where current activities are no longer sustainable."